This week, the world watched in anticipation for Russia’s Victory Day parade after President Volodymyr Zelensky commented that he could not guarantee the safety of those attending. Meanwhile, the European Union moves one step forward to banning Russian gas from the European continent. It is also revealed this week that U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has fallen out of step with the White House.
"(Russian) President (Vladimir) Putin... doesn't want to have a ceasefire agreement with Ukraine, but rather wants to meet on Thursday, in Turkey, to negotiate a possible end to the bloodbath. Ukraine should agree to this, immediately," U.S. President Donald Trump said.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio will travel to to Antalya, Turkey, for a NATO foreign ministers’ meeting from May 14–16, where he is expected to address the war in Ukraine and push for stronger Allied defense commitments.
The Kremlin said the leaders held a detailed discussion about the Russian initiative and Erdogan expressed full support, reiterating Turkey’s readiness to provide a venue and assist in organizing the negotiations.
Erdogan told Macron that international cooperation is critical for initiating peace negotiations and the "sensitive implementation" of Ukraine’s recovery and reconstruction processes, the Turkish Presidency reported.
The assault began around 2 a.m. on May 11, with Russian forces deploying 108 Shahed-type attack drones and decoy UAVs from multiple directions, Ukraine’s Air Force said.
"Think of the hundreds of thousands of lives that will be saved as this never ending 'bloodbath' hopefully comes to an end... I will continue to work with both sides to make sure that it happens."
Ukraine's Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba during the press conference on May 21, 2024 in Kyiv, Ukraine. (Photo by Viktor Kovalchuk/Global Images Ukraine via Getty Images)
Ukraine should become a NATO member sooner rather than later to ensure security and stability in the Euro-Atlantic area, Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said in an interview with CNN on July 12.
The three-day NATO summit in Washington ended with the launch of the Ukraine Compact, a security framework signed by 32 allies. In addition, the countries affirmed Kyiv's "irreversible" path toward membership, though Ukraine did not receive any definitive news about its future accession.
"We will be entirely happy only when Ukraine becomes a member of NATO and the promise of this will be fulfilled. We heard very reassuring messages over the last days at all levels that the path of membership is irreversible, that Ukraine will be in NATO," Kuleba said.
"But we cannot wait another 75 years to celebrate Ukraine's accession."
Russia's full-scale war against Ukraine was a key focus of the Alliance's 75th-anniversary summit. Multiple countries announcing aid packages and security agreements.
According to Kuleba, Ukraine is confident that allies' commitments will be implemented, but the timeline remains the main issue.
"We ask all our partners to rush with delivery of what they have promised because we need it here and now to protect our cities when it comes to our air defense, energy infrastructure. Also, (to) arm our soldier with sufficient capabilities to hold the lines and destroy Russian invaders," the minister added.
Outgoing NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said he hopes that Ukraine will join the alliance within the next 10 years.
President Volodymyr Zelensky, who has repeatedly called on partners to issue a membership invitation to Kyiv, said that Ukraine will join NATO only after Russia's full-scale war ends, echoing Stoltenberg.
Owen Racer
